The Kids Book of Canada at War

I haven’t always wanted to be a writer. I went through school not knowing what I would do when I was older. When I went to university I studied sciences; I didn’t take any writing courses.

After I graduated I worked in a lab, an office, a flower shop — still nothing to do with writing. By this time I wanted to be a writer, but I was scared to admit it. However, I had some articles published in newspapers, I studied writing and editing and soon had a job as an editor at OWL magazine. An editor is the person who works with authors to decide what part of a story goes first, where the commas go, etc.

Now I’m a writer and an editor. I love writing because it lets me investigate so many interesting people and topics. I never know what my next book will be but I hope you’ll enjoy it!

I really wanted to tell this story about courageous Canadians [The Kids’ Book of Canada at War] because my dad fought in World War II as a navigator with the Royal Canadian Air Force. I’m very proud of him and I was so happy to be able to include his photo in my book — you can see him on page 58. The special “spy” button on page 53 also belongs to my dad.

Many of the artifacts in the book belong to friends and family, who were all really glad to see the articles in a book and so see people they love honoured. It feels good to be able to do that for people and I think the book looks so great with all of these items.

The book took a lot of research — after all, it cover more than 1000 years of Canada’s history! I read many books, magazines, and articles on-line and talked to many people. I learned a lot while writing. That’s one of the things that I like best about writing.

My editor thought I might have trouble writing this book because it could be really depressing subject. I thought about this and it made me decide to focus on Canadians’s bravery. Sometimes, however, it was still tough describing how so many wonderful people died or were injured. I’m glad my editor encouraged me to be prepared for feeling bad.

So if you’re working on something that makes you really sad or upset, see if you can think of something positive about what you’re writing. Perhaps that will help you write through the really difficult parts.

Other books by Elizabeth MacLeod:

Contact Elizabeth MacLeod at:

Email:emacleod@writerinresidence.com

About the Illustrator
John Mantha is a Toronto-based artist and illustrator.

When he was 11 years old, he had a serious illness that confined him to hospital for several months. While he was there, he started drawing to pass the time. After high school, he attended the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. He grew up in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, and graduated with honors from the Ontario College of Art in 1984.

Once he designed three gold coins for the Royal Canadian Mint, one of which was chosen coin of the year. His paintings, done in oils, have been exhibited in galleries across Ontario. He freelances for Toronto television stations and newspapers as a courtroom artist.

Thus far, John has illustrated 21 books. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Leanne, daughter, Lauren, Charlotte the cat and Samantha the dog.

he writes:

I really enjoyed illustrating The Kids Book of Canada at War because of the interesting elements involved. The different costumes and uniforms worn and also the military weapons and tactics used. I enjoyed doing the chapter, the Grand Arsenal with the smoke from the cannons exploding across the page. I applied a wash of colour over the page and then removed the colour with a cloth or turpentine to reveal the white smoke. It is easy to do and creates a very dramatic effect.

I work in oils. I also use an oil wash. Oils dry slowly and allow you to blend colors on the actual painting. Acrylic paints dry quickly and all blending of colors must be done on the palette and then applied. I have tried computer illustration but it is too deliberate a process; by contrast, when you\'re painting in oils, sometimes your mistakes or accidental drips look really good even though they were not planned.

I sometimes have to use myself as a model if I don\'t have any other references. Also, Samantha, my dog, has been in numerous illustrations where a dog is required.

OTHER BOOKS OF INTEREST:
The Kids Book of Canadian Exploration
The Kids Book of Canada’s Railway
Crusades

Contact John Mantha at:
john.mantha@sympatico.ca
www.johnmantha.com